carthageacademyfandomcom-20200213-history
Zombie
Common Parlance: Zombie Life Status: Non-Living Taxonomy: Mortuus Cadaveris Cultural Notes: '''Zombies represent one of the most common species on the planet, in many places Zombies define the average. Zombies do not have a strong sense of cultural unity relating to others of their kind more on terms of locality and native culture rather than based on shared species. Zombies are generally perceived as ordinary and unremarkable, it would be a rare person indeed who had never encountered a Zombie before. Racism between the Dead and the Living is not as rampant as it once was but places that still have strong segregation movements tend to have Zombie leaders at their core. Truthfully though it is impossible to generalize about Zombie opinions or attitudes as they span the entire spectrum of possibility. '''Internal Physical Features: *Body formation and systems demonstrate similarities to living mammalian lines of descent with obvious select deviations. *Circulatory system is a pressure regulated series of tubing and chambers that permit and facilitatie the motion of blood pulp throughout the body. The pulp varies in viscosity throughout the body and though it circulates, it resists bleeding from even the most horrific wounds by clotting and coagulating almost immediately upon contact with air. *The cells that make up the bodies of Cadaveris specimens are clinically dead in that on their own they are not capable of functioning, left to their own devices they would rot like any other dead animal cells. The functions they are capable of such as movement and cell division are made possible by the advanced form of Mitochondrial bodies that exist in symbiotic union within the larger cells. The symbiotic Mitochondrial cells supply energy for the activities of the cell and thus the larger body as a whole while maintaining the cells in a ongoing form of proactive stasis to prevent rot and decay. *The Zombie circulatory system moves through the use of pumping chamber similar to the hearts employed by living beings, though much simplified. Zombie hearts are basically tight knots of arterial tubes that are pumped slowly by muscular systems around them. Most subjects have three heart bundles contained within the torso though some are born with more. *Zombies have very little that can be recognized as proper internal organs, having lost the need for most such structures. Their innards consist of a robust digestive system which reduces sustenance to pulp and then connects to their extensive circulatory tract. Zombies also posses a rudimentary system of glands throughout their bodies that produce the chemical equivalent of hormones, as well as nerve tracts that connect to their brains. *The Zombie brain is a marvel of lifeless adaptation. Though comprised of clinically dead cells the Mitochondrial influence prevents these cells from decaying as they do with the remainder of the body, allowing the Zombie brain to function at the same level as those of their living counterparts. In fact the brain is host to the largest amount of Mitochondrial activity in the bodies of Cadaveris specimens. The Zombie nervous system is not as advanced as it is in living species, with its primary function being coordinating body movements. The nervous system is not especially adapted to registering tactile extremes like pain or temperature, leaving zombies somewhat oblivious to these environmental factors. *Zombie muscles are based on a pneumatic system rather than the more common system of ligaments and tendons found in living beings though the vestiges of those structures remain. Zombies alter the pressure in the circulatory tubing of their extremities to facilitate movement. In extremely cold conditions this can make movement impossible as the liquid portions of their circulatory pulp can freeze. *Despite its nonliving nature Zombie flesh does heal after a fashion and is capable of doing so after even the most mortal of wounds. Their bodies quickly convert circulatory pulp into replacement flesh via mobile mitochondrial intervention. This new flesh is often a slightly different shade or color as this Necroflesh is only a place holder. The Mitochondrial systems will reactivate the slower process of true cell division within the Zombies nonliving cell. Eventually this process will properly replace the wounded area, often leaving a vivid scar for some time afterward. This necrotic bodily restoration can even allow severed limbs to be reattached easily after only a few moments of contact, though it has significantly more difficulty generating large amounts of hard tissue like cartilage or bone which can take much longer to restore if the original body part is lost. A Zombie born missing an arm or leg will never regenerate the limb as the body does not recognize the limbs absence. Though a Zombie body can survive immense damage, destruction of the brain is impossible to regenerate, thus destruction of a zombies head or brain will render them truly inanimate and deceased. *The Zombie body is geared towards survival, a tendency which begins in the womb. A Zombie fetus that has physical imperfection or deformity of an arm, leg, or sensory organ will simply reabsorb the structure and be born without it rather than support the flaw. Because of this it is not especially uncommon for Zombies to be missing legs, arms, or even eyes. Fetuses exhibiting extensive physical deformities, disorders, or problems, seldom survive all the way to birth, self destructing once the error cannot be compensated for. *Zombie children do age and grow into adulthood like their living counterparts despite being dead, this is seemingly an atavism of adaptational processes. The mitochondrial systems seem to use the process of gradual aging as a way to conserve energy while promoting bodily growth. *Zombies possess simplified lungs; they are structures used mostly for speech as Zombies have no need to breathe. *Zombie cells are incredibly resilient, but the symbiotic Mitochondrial structures that make their unlife possible cannot persist forever. Eventually the maintaining forces will begin to give out and the Zombie will cease to support functioning. Rotting or dessication after Mitochondrial failure is usually rapid. Despite this inevitable collapse a Zombie can live for a significantly long time, the oldest recorded having lived to be 213 before their Mitochondrial processes finally failed completely. *The Zombie Corpus is resistant to many afflictions common in living species though is susceptible to a number of afflictions the living are not, such as various molds and parasites. *The Zombie diet consists almost entirely of animal matter. Though they can consume plants if they so choose, they receive few benefits for doing so. External Physical Features: *Skin is most often a shade of ashen gray though variants in lightness and darkness are common. Flesh can also be tinged slightly green or blue, though seldom excessively. This coloring increases with age as bacterial buildup slowly occurs. *Skin will often exhibit a number of scars from wounds or operations in the Zombie's past, stitching helping to keep reattaching limbs in place are also fairly common. Zombies sometimes refer to these markings as the "Road Map" of their lives, or their tattoos. *Zombies can exist in a number of physical variations beyond the common Zombie phenotype. Examples : Calaveras, emaciated and skeletal with very little flesh or solidity to their forms. The Drowned, exhibiting bluish casts to their skin and veins that are fairly visible through the skin of their extremities. The Burning Dead, exceptionally rare phenotype occurring only as a recessive mutation, physically similar to Calaveras, their Autumnal Field grants the illusion they their skin is forever consumed by heat-less flames. *Zombies fall within the average height and weight ranges of other derivations of the Mortuus and Mortalis Genaii. ... lots of text ... Horrors: I. Stygian Exhale: '''Zombies use this horror to exhale a thick cloying, black or green fume from their mouth. The viscous miasma smells horrible inducing nausea in most living things and speeds up the decay of inanimate substances and materials it comes into contact with. This horror is very effective at repelling and assaulting living beings and extended or intense exposure can bring about temporary paralysis and seizures. The horror has little effect on other zombies or members of the Mortuus genus in general. This horror is made possible because of the hyper efficient nature of Zombie anatomy. The prevention of decay in Zombie cells orchestrated by Mitochondrial intervention only goes so far. Cells that would naturally die and be reabsorbed by the body in a living beings system instead rot in a Zombie's. This rotting tissue and excess cell waste is condensed and stored in specialized organs in the upper chest. Internal pressure allows Zombies who have mastered control over the duct-work of these putrescent waste storage glands to easily project the almost powdery fume-like waste from their mouth. '''II. Eyes of the Dead: '''Zombie eyes are capable of taking in an innumerable amount of information at once, becoming hypersensitive for as long as focus can be maintained. Using this horror renders visual information usually unavailable to living beings immediately obvious to the Zombie. A zombie with this ability active can easily visually percieve unagitated Autumnal Fields, thermal energy, and recognize minute details with perfect accuracy. This trait also allows Zombies to detect potential movements of living beings and react before them by observing fluctuations in their Autumnal fields. The largest drawback to this horror is that it presents the entirey of the information available without filter or restriction, thus effective use requires intense practice and focus. An experienced user of this horror can even detect deception in living beings by recognizing minute changes in body language and temperature. The mechanics behind this effect are well known and documented. Based around vastly increasing the mitochondrial energy in the ocular organs the zombie is rendered able to perceive even minute changes in the Autumnal fields around them caused by any number of ambient forces, these detected fluctuations are then sent unfiltered through a highly developed series of ocular organs to both the subconscious and conscious areas of the brain allowing responses originating from multiple levels. '''III. Never say Die: The physical body of a Zombie is already immensely resilient, this horror allows them to push this trait to ridiculous extremes. Use of this horror will allow a Zombie to easily remove a limb like a hand or leg and maintain mobility and manipulation of that limb over greater distances than their natural abilities would allow. Use of this ability also allows organs to function properly at a distance, a zombie would be able to see through a removed eye or smell through their nose as long as they have pulled out some of the scent receptive membranes. Organs and limbs removed in this way reattach with remarkable cleanliness and ease. The horror also reinforces the structural integrity of the Zombies physical body, this allows a zombie's body to withstand impressive amounts of physical force without sustaining equivalent structural damage. A Zombie using this power is tireless, resilient, and while they can be slowed they are very difficult to truly stop. This horror functions by increasing the viscosity and pressure of the pulp circulating in the Zombies system, the mitochondrial cells fed by this increased flow enables greater manipulation of the cellular structure allowing limbs and organs to be easily removed and replaced. This same increased cell activity and thickening of pulp increases the structural integrity of the Zombie's corpus, minimizing potential damage. The horror causes the Autumnal Field of the Zombie to wrap tightly around the body, including separated organs and limbs. This further increases the resilience of the Zombies body, though the exact means by which Zombie physiology manipulates its fields in this way is unknown. Recent research has revealed that when multiple zombie in close proximity use this horror at the same time their fields have a tendency to blur together, forming a singular Autumnal field, the significance of this phenomena and the means by which it happens is also an ongoing mystery, though it does seem to increase the effectiveness of this horror. Using this Horror will cause a Zombie's circulatory system to rapidly burn through the blood pulp in their bodies if they are not careful.